Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to . You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
After the headache of 2020, we could all use a strong drink when the clock strikes midnight. From the ongoing pandemic (opens in new tab) to the 2020 presidential election (opens in new tab) to the resurgence of murder hornets, we'd be lying if we didn't say we're looking forward to the new year. Whether you're planning to live it up at a virtual Zoom party or take it easy on the couch watching Netflix (opens in new tab), we rounded up 21 tasty cocktail recipes—think: a gin cocktail, a champagne spritz, and an edible glitter cocktail (yes, really)—that will help you enter 2021 in style. Get dressed to the nines (opens in new tab) (or don't) and toast to better days ahead.
New Year’s Welcome
Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. Gin
¾ oz. Pineapple syrup (see below)
½ oz. Lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained through a fine-mesh sieve
2 Large fresh sage leaves
Chilled Mezza di Mezzacorona Brut, to top (about 2 oz. per cocktail)
Directions:
To make the syrup, combine equal parts pineapple juice and sugar in a blender, then blend on high until the sugar dissolves. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and store, covered, in the refrigerator.
For each cocktail, add the gin, pineapple syrup, lemon juice, and sage leaves to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake hard for 15 seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top carefully with chilled Mezza di Mezzacorona Brut. Garnish with additional sage.
Courtesy of Mezza di Mezzacorona and Colleen Jeffers
Smirnoff Vanilla Eggnog Martini
Ingredients:
1 oz. Smirnoff Vanilla
1 oz. Eggnog
1 oz. Irish Cream
Directions:
Mix together the eggnog, Smirnoff Vanilla, and Irish Cream in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and vanilla bean.
Courtesy of Kenda Darr from Simply Darrling for Smirnoff
Midnight Reverie
Ingredients:
.5 oz. Art in the Age Black Trumpet Blueberry Cordial
.5 oz. Lemon juice
.5 oz. Chilled ginger lemon syrup
Cava
Directions:
Put a few blueberries in the bottom of a Collins class. Fill the glass the rest of the way with pebble ice. Add all ingredients except Cava together with ice, and strain the liquid into the glass. Top with Cava, then garnish with thyme and blueberries.
Courtesy of Lee Noble, Art in the Age Cocktail Specialist
Recuerdo Mezcal de Navidad
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Recuerdo Mezcal Joven
1.5 oz. Calahua (cream of coconut)
1 Small slice of fresh ginger
1 oz. Evaporated milk
.25 oz. Grenadine
Pomegranate seeds
Mint
Ice to taste
Directions:
Add the ice, Recuerdo Mezcal, calahua (cream of coconut), ginger, evaporated milk, and grenadine to a blender and mix until the consistency of ice cream. Serve in an old fashioned glass, garnish with the pomegranate seeds and a sprig of mint.
Courtesy of Gibran Gonzalez for Recuerdo Mezcal
Dano's El Burro Loco
Ingredients:
2 oz. Dano's Pineapple & Jalapeno Tequila
1.5 oz. Ginger beer
Splash lime juice
1/2 oz. Simple syrup
Directions:
Stir all ingredients with ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with candied ginger & jalapeno.
Courtesy of Dano's Tequila
Hott11e Toddy
Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. of E11EVEN Vodka
6 oz .of Apple Cider (preferably fresh-pressed)
2 oz. of Water
½ to 1 teaspoon packed, finely of grated Ginger Root (to your taste)
Dash Cinnamon and freshly grated Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon of strained fresh lemon juice (or more to your taste)
½ Teaspoon of Honey (or less if your apple cider is on the sweet side)
Cinnamon stick, apple slice, or lemon wheel to garnish
Directions:
Combine the apple cider, water, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. Meanwhile, combine the vodka and lemon juice in a mug. Strain the hot spiced cider into the mug, discarding the solids. Stir in the honey until melted—taste, adding more lemon or honey to balance the drink if need be. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, apple round, and/or lemon wheel. Enjoy!
Courtesy of E11EVEN Vodka
Toast of the Town
Ingredients:
1 oz. Svedka Vodka
3 oz. Passionfruit Juice
Prosecco to fill
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a champagne coupe. Garnish with gold edible glitter.
Courtesy of mixologist Cody Goldstein
The Winter Rebel
Ingredients:
2 Chivas 13 year
.75 oz. Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
.50 Blood Orange juice
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
Directions:
Build-in glass over a large rock. Ice. Stir. Garnish with large orange peel, studded with six to eight cloves.
Courtesy of Chivas
Fruit Belt Boulevardier
Ingredients:
8 oz. Virtue Cider
4 oz. Rye Whiskey
2 oz. Campari
2 oz. Sweet vermouth
Directions:
Add ice to the mixing glass. Add Virtue Cider, rye, Campari, and vermouth. Stir. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with an orange twist and serve immediately.
Courtesy of Virtue Cider
Pom Cran Fizz Punch
Ingredients:
1 ¼ Cups chilled pomegranate juice
1 ½ oz. Cointreau Liqueur
1 Bottle Mezza di Mezzacorona
1 Fresh pomegranate, seeded
1 Bag cranberries
Directions:
Combine 1 ¼ cups of chilled pomegranate juice, 1 ½ oz of Cointreau Liqueur, 1 bottle of Mezza di Mezzacorona, ice, fresh pomegranate seeds, and cranberries in a punch bowl. Serve in wine glasses.
Courtesy of Mezzacorona
Laraine's Cocktail
Ingredients:
3 oz. GT's Kombucha Guava Goddess
3 oz. Champagne or Prosecco
Directions:
Pour champagne or prosecco into a champagne flute. Top with Guava Goddess Kombucha. Garnish with either thyme, ginger, or an edible flower.
Courtesy of GT'S Kombucha
Starry Night
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Beefeater Gin
1 Dropper Butterfly Pea Tincture
3/4 Lemon juice
3/4 Jasmine syrup
2 oz. Sparkling wine
Directions:
Build-in shaking tin. Strain. Top with sparkling wine.
Courtesy of Pernod Ricard mixologist Jane Danger
Bourbon Fizz
Ingredients:
2 oz. Bourbon
1 oz. Apple Cider
1/2 oz. Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Egg Whites
Directions:
Shake vigorously with ice, garnish with Orange Peel, and a Maraschino Cherry.
Courtesy of Savida in New York City
Tito's Holiday Thyme
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Tito's Handmade Vodka
1 1/2 oz. Cranberry juice
2 tsp Lime juice
2 Thyme sprigs
3 oz. Sparkling Mineral Water
Directions:
Shake Tito’s, juices, and thyme in a shaker with ice. Pour into a rocks glass. Top with soda water and garnish with a thyme sprig.
Courtesy of Tito's
Citrus Pomegranate Prosecco Punch
Ingredients:
1/2 Part orange juice
1/2 Part pink grapefruit juice
1/4 Part pomegranate juice
1 Part Ruffino Prosecco, well chilled
Slices of assorted citrus and pomegranate seeds to garnish
Directions:
In a large pitcher or punch bowl with plenty of ice, combine the fruit juices. Pour the Ruffino Prosecco over the top. Garnish generously with sliced citrus and pomegranate seeds.
Courtesy of Ruffino
Midnight Magic
Ingredients:
Strawberries, sliced
Blueberries
Stella Rosa Imperiale Black Lux
Lime juice
Honey
Mint for garnish
Directions:
Fill glass with strawberries and blueberries. Pour in Stella Rosa Imperiale Black Lux. Add a squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of honey. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Courtesy of Stella Rosa
Poire 75
Ingredients:
1 oz. Gin
3/4 oz. Lemon
1 oz. Pink peppercorn-pear syrup*
Champagne or sparkling wine
*Pink Peppercorn Pear Syrup Directions: Combine 1 cup of syrup, 1 1/2 c. of water, 1 c. of diced pears, and 3 T. of pink peppercorns and heat. When pears soften, mash some into syrup and continue to heat. When the desired flavor is achieved, turn the heat off and cool.
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a shaker, shake, and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne or sparkling wine and add a lemon twist garnish.
Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck Catering
R Spritz
Ingredients:
¼ oz. Lemon juice
¼ oz. Simple syrup
¼ oz. Byrrh Quinquina
2 oz. Cocchi Rosa
2 oz. Giuliana Prosecco
Fresh Berries
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a burgundy wine glass with ice and garnish with fresh berries.
Courtesy of RPM Italian in Chicago
The Land of Five Waters
Ingredients:
1 oz. Calvados
¾ oz. Garam syrup
½ oz. Hibiscus/rhubarb syrup
¾ oz. Lemon
¼ oz. Orange juice
1 oz. Prosecco
2 Dashes Chamomile Tincture
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass with an ice cube. Garnish with dried flowers.
Courtesy of Punjab Grill, Washington D.C.
Zero-Proof Washington Apple
Ingredients:
1/2 oz. Raspberry gum syrup
1/2 oz. Lemon juice
6 oz. Fuji Apple Dry Sparkling
Fuji Apple Slices
1 Raspberry
Directions:
Combine ingredients with ice in a glass. Garnish with fuji apple slices and a raspberry.
Courtesy of Erik Hakkinen of Roquette in Seattle
BOS Berry Cocktail
Ingredients:
Vodka
2 Fresh limes
Red berries
Fresh basil
BOS Berry
Directions:
Pour a double shot of vodka over ice. Squeeze in two wedges of fresh limes. Crush in some fresh red betties. Toss in some fresh basil leaves. Serve up with BOS Berry.
Courtesy of BOS
Bianca Rodriguez is the Fashion & Luxury Commerce Manager at Hearst Magazines, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Town & Country. She likes lounging about with a good book and thinks a closet without platform sneakers is a travesty.
-
Princess Diana Accident Investigator Recalls “Emotional” Talk with Prince William and Prince Harry After Her Death
The boys were angry at the paparazzi’s role in the high-speed crash.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Nanny is Reportedly Banned from Using This Common Word
…it’s not one you’d probably guess.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
Kate Middleton Had a Cheeky College Nickname That Caught Prince William’s Attention
The couple met 21 years ago this fall.
By Rachel Burchfield
-
23 Easy Mocktail Recipes to Try In 2022
Even better than the real thing.
By Michelle Stansbury
-
4 Big Ideas for Small Holiday Get-Togethers
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent on how to level-up your scaled-down celebration.
By Betsy Goldberg
-
Natural Wines That Taste as Good as They Look
If you haven't gone au natural yet, it's time to start.
By Taylore Glynn
-
Cocktail Books to Help Upgrade Your At-Home Happy Hours
Five o'clock, where ya at?
By Rachel Epstein
-
39 Super Easy Fourth of July Cocktails to Try
Forget the fireworks. The real show is what you can make with your bar cart.
By Bianca Rodriguez
-
Why You Should Be Drinking Soju
The Korean spirit deserves a front-row spot on your bar cart.
By Taylore Glynn
-
48 Tequila Cocktail Recipes for Your At-Home Happy Hours
1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila...my couch.
By Taylor Ayers
-
50 Vodka Cocktail Recipes That Taste as Good as They Look
There's so much more to vodka than those cringey college shots. Here, 50 easy vodka cocktail recipes to make sure you never think of clear stuff the same way again.
By Megan DiTrolio